After we solve all of the hard problems in the world, can we go back to looking at cat pictures?
Steve Yegge quits Google in the middle of his speech [OSCON Data 2011]
101–110 of 144 posts
Re: Steve Yegge quits Google in the middle of his speech [OSCON Data 2011]
#102while listening to the talk, I took notes. (Not exact notes, I probably reworded several things, hopefully not twisting the meaning too much.) Here they are, if you don't have time to watch the talk. ----- Google, "where I work right now", they are doing great work to attempt to change the work. At least more than other companies. I work on compilers. I like to work on big data, learn about data mining. Because even…
The problem with calling out specific companies for quality is things can change -- eg, Pixar, who would have clearly belonged on his list a couple of years ago, but post-Disney, post-Cars 2, post Newt being cancelled for Monsters Inc 2, post the Canadian branch being formed to shit out TV specials... well... things can change (including for the worse) quickly.
This is a very important lesson, and one that I would argue that books such as "Built to Last" completely failed to foresee that many of the companies they thought were made of gold, turned out to be duds merely a couple years later when the late 90s stock market bubble burst.
Re: Steve Yegge quits Google in the middle of his speech [OSCON Data 2011]
#103So I'm not really an ask me anything type guy, but I work on a bioinformatics team at an academic cancer research center. We have genomic sequencers and a software stack running 24/7/365 plus your normal collection of IT and small dev projects here. If you have questions about what it's like to be a hacker in this type of environment, post them here and I'll share what my experience is like. BTW, I completely wish I…
Lets say I want to get in this field. I have a BBA in Econ -- but no upper level math -- would I be better off getting a BA in Math and then going off to grad school (in CS or Bio, or both..)? Or would it be a better use of time to take certain maths and then just head into a masters program?
Re: Steve Yegge quits Google in the middle of his speech [OSCON Data 2011]
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm a CS guy (programmer with a heavy interest in Biology) going to get a Master's in Computational Biology (from CMU). What's it like to be a hacker in that sort of environment? :P Really, anything you could tell me about what you do now, the state of the industry, and your experience would be really valuable.
This is my first bioinformatics job and my first return to an academic environment since finishing a MS in CS and doing the standard industry thing. This group is mostly a core services group rather than a pure research support group. I came in to do traditional data warehouse work, loading data from separate databases into one spot to make reports across those different datasets easier. That's most of my days now -…
This sounds quite accurate. Just a minor thing to add: said DB vendor is heavy in politics, and getting off the Obstacle goggles is part of the cure.
And the environment will try to shoehorn "bioinformatics/medical informatics/etc" into "mostly a core services group" of technicians, like surface technicians, kitchen etc. Though in discussions, it will be admitted, that informatics/maths is one of the most promising keys to advance the medical research field. J. Quackenbush called these groups of people intellectual peasants. Unless these groups are accepted as peers, I can hardly see any true systems approach succeed.
Re: Steve Yegge quits Google in the middle of his speech [OSCON Data 2011]
#105I've had multiple math professors tell me to study as much math as I can while I'm young, because once you're over 30 it's a lot harder to learn math. I'm in my 20's so I'm not sure if this is true. It also seems to me that the math you would learn in an O'Reilly book isn't in depth enough to contribute to research.
My research concerns the genetic epidemiology of heart disease. The mathematics involved is not that deep.
Re: Steve Yegge quits Google in the middle of his speech [OSCON Data 2011]
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well I don't think that Google has anything similar to human genome project, so I think he quit Google. But yes, it is a but unclear.
They had something, I think it was a protein database search goog labs project. It wasn't very popular, so I guess it didn't stick. btw 23me is close enough, and is also misleading enough (in scientific value)...
How is 23andMe misleading in scientific value? They just published "Web-based genome-wide association study identifies two novel loci and a substantial genetic component for Parkinson’s disease" in PLOS Genetics:
http://spittoon.23andme.com/2011/06/23/plos-genetics-parkins...
Re: Steve Yegge quits Google in the middle of his speech [OSCON Data 2011]
#107Am I the only one that fails to be inspired by this? I think I'm not inspired because it's something I've already thought about. We've always had the option to go make money, or go try to fix the world... And whatever that brings us. I am very clear on my chances of making big changes to the world: Almost nil. Instead, I decided long ago that I'd do my best to make money and improve my own life. I'm not saying I don'…
No, you're not the only one. He's a bit naive if he thinks he's going to cure cancer by quitting his job and reading some undergraduate math textbooks. However misguided his plan may be, it's heartwarming that his wife agreed to be his study buddy, instead of divorcing him.
"He's a bit naive if he thinks he's going to cure cancer by quitting his job and reading some undergraduate math textbooks."
This is a rather obnoxious strawman.
Re: Steve Yegge quits Google in the middle of his speech [OSCON Data 2011]
#108As someone who was originally a science major, then switched to comp sci, I always get a romantic tingle when I hear about bioinformatics. Most of the science I've learned is gone by now, but I am sure it still there somewhere. What are the good starting points for learning about bioinformatics?
amazon.com and university courses; what did you think? That there was an inside, easy track that you could find by asking HN?
Re: Steve Yegge quits Google in the middle of his speech [OSCON Data 2011]
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
While I applaud his motives for change, we should also focus on HOW he quit, too. IMHO, his boss deserves the professional courtesy of being told personally (be it face to face, or by letter of resignation), rather than finding out via a YouTube clip...
downvote freely (but then don't laugh when watching Office Space). If you have enough life experience, or read enough of Matt Groening, worst case watch enough Office movies/series, then you could suspect that bosses can be manipulative sociopaths, who do not deserve any professional courtesy. BTW: most bosses don't fire f2f (Office Space), but with an indirection, through Human Resources Services (or hire scumbags,…
What's "calendaring theory" ?
Re: Steve Yegge quits Google in the middle of his speech [OSCON Data 2011]
#110while listening to the talk, I took notes. (Not exact notes, I probably reworded several things, hopefully not twisting the meaning too much.) Here they are, if you don't have time to watch the talk. ----- Google, "where I work right now", they are doing great work to attempt to change the work. At least more than other companies. I work on compilers. I like to work on big data, learn about data mining. Because even…
It feels hard to get into Bioinformatics without a PHD. I would love to tackle problems in genetics, medicine, and etc. But I'm not going to commit 7 years of my life to breaking into a highly regulated sector before I get to "Hello World!".
Is there a hacker scene in Bioinformatics?